What is the difference between a minister saying that something is possible or that it is not impossible ?

This dissertation provides a description of the language Tadaksahak as it is spoken by the Idaksahak, a people group of about 30,000 living in the most eastern part of Mali and several isolated places in western Niger.

On the 16th of June, Ndokobai Dadak successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated. The Leiden University Centre for Linguistics congratulates Ndokobai on this achievement!

This collaborative research group (CRG) facilitates the synergies of researchers engaged with African languages and documentation of texts conducted in East Africa, paying particular attention to ‘endangered archives’ and ‘endangered languages’.

On the 21st of September, Carlos Benítez-Torres successfully defended a doctoral thesis. The Leiden University Centre for Linguistics congratulates Carlos on this achievement!

Visualising structures of life

This publication is in Dutch. Please consult the Dutch page for more information.

On the 30th of June, Richard L. Boutwell successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated. The Leiden University Centre for Linguistics congratulates Richard on this achievement!

Mesoamerican Manuscripts: New Scientific Approaches and Interpretations brings together a wide range of modern approaches to the study of pre-colonial and early colonial Mesoamerican manuscripts. This includes innovative studies of materiality through the application of non-invasive spectroscopy and…

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. de Jong, Co-Promotor: Dr. A.J. Heijboer

Are you thinking about studying Creative Intelligence & Technology (previously Media Technology)? Learn more by watching our introduction video and the recordings of our talkshows and Q&A's from the Online Master's Open Days. The one from 10th Nov is with lecturer Edwin van der Heide and two of our…

Escritura de Ñuu Dzaui

Knowledge and culture subproject 3:

Análisis y Conversión del Vocabulario de fray Francisco de Alvarado (1593)

The project aims to conserve and consolidate the entrance gate to the Roman Desert Frontier Fort Qasr Bshir.

Memoria de un Paisaje Sagrado

Lisa Cheng is Professor of General Linguistics at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. Her research interests centre upon comparative syntax, and the interactions between syntax and semantics, syntax and prosody, as well as syntax and processing. She is a co-founder of the Leiden Institute…

Anthropogenic change is reshaping ecological systems, raising concerns about increasing transmission of infectious diseases. Among these, mosquito-borne diseases may be particularly sensitive to environmental change, as their transmission depends on vector populations.

This dissertation contains the further development of a method for linguistic-stylistic research, which provides a systematic means to interpret global impressions of a text through choices in formulation at word- and sentence level.

Wil jij meer te weten komen over wetenschappelijke onderwerpen op een gemakkelijke manier? Beluister dan deze podcast. In elke aflevering beantwoorden we samen met een wetenschapper jouw prangende wetenschapsvragen!

This thesis is a sample-based typological study of formal and semantic patterns in terms for a selection of referring (

This book is a first comparative study of the Nuni dialects.

The judge as a problem-solver in domestic violence cases involving child victims.

This project investigates the influence that Arabic (esp. dialectal Arabic) has had on the Berber languages of Northern Africa.

Arie van Steensel and Ariadne Schmidt (eds.)

These are our lecturers (in alphabetical order) for the 2025 Summer School in Languages and Linguistics.

The theoretical explanation of cosmic acceleration is nowadays one of the biggest puzzles in cosmology.

During my PhD research, I studied the photon statistics of light emitted by a microcavity that contains a single quantum dot (QD) on resonance.

Video interview with Subodh Patil, the new assistant professor in Theoretical Cosmology, about the gravitational waves, hidden universes, music, and whether Dutch, Danish and German fit into one brain.

Does gravity work the same when you look at the largest scales in our universe? That’s what Leiden physicist Alessandra Silvestri will study with a 2 million euro ERC Consolidator grant. ‘We assume that it does, but we don’t actually know.’

The probability for dissociation of molecules on metal surfaces, which often controls the rate of industrially important catalytic processes, can depend strongly on how energy is partitioned in the incident molecule. There are many example systems where the addition of vibrational energy promotes reaction…

This thesis contributes to studying primordial cosmology theories and their detectability in future observations.

The hinterland of important centres like Petra (Southern Jordan) can provide essential information that contribute to the understanding of their rise, expansion and decline.

Below you will find a collection of books, other than those in the BLRN book series, to which members of BLRN have contributed.

A project aimed at understanding the complicated process of religious transformation in one of the centres of the early Muslim world.

This project aims to excavate and date the setting of the east gate of the Roman fortress of Udhruḥ. This will be compared with other Diocletianic military installations from the region. We also hope to retrieve another gate inscription which can shed light on the function and political embedding of…

So you graduated from the Creative Intelligence & Technology or Media Technology program? Congratulations, Master of Science! Here you find information that is relevant after your graduation.

The Theoretical Philosophy programme consists of 60 EC, to be completed in one year.

Astrid van Alem is a lecturer at the Centre for Linguistics.

Catalysis is of extreme relevance in the production of everyday materials and plays a central role in many aspects of our life.

The Theoretical Physics specialisation prepares you for a career in industrial research and performing problem solving tasks. The master degree is an excellent stepping stone for pursuing a PhD degree.

The work in this thesis demonstrates how to obtain an atomic-scale picture of a diverse set of complex surface structures observed using STM, under disparate conditions.

Find out how to apply for Theoretical Philosophy at Leiden University by following our step-by-step guide.

Promotor: G. J. Kroes

Louk Rademaker is visiting fellow at Leiden University, Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics. He studies theoretical quantum matter physics, connecting the material science to fundamental concepts and methods.

During the programme you will develop strong analytical and computational skills.

The dissociative chemisorption of methane on metal surfaces is of fundamental and practical interest, being a rate-limiting step in the steam reforming process. The reaction is best modeled with quantum dynamics calculations, but these are currently not guaranteed to produce accurate results because…

Nonadiabatic energy transfer from the translational motion (T) of a molecule impinging on metal surface to the metal’s electrons may determine whether the molecule can lose enough energy to adsorb or react.